Wrapping-machine



C. E. MILLER.

WRAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-14,1918.

1,359,4'Y-7 Patented Nov. 16, 1920..

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C. E. MILLER. WRAPPING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED OCT- I4, I9IB. 359,477,, Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

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INVENTOR. 007E455 Z, flf/ufe A TT ORNE Y.

UNITED STATES: PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES MILLER, 01 ANDERSON, INDIANA.

WRAPPING-MACHINE.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Anderson, county of Madison, and State of Indiana, have invented a certain new and useful rapping-Machine; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, of which like numerals refer to like parts.

This invention relates to means for wrapping bags of-material, or the like, such as bags filled with predetermined amount of gun powder, and at the same time compressing them so that when wrapped the filled bags will be solid and compact and symmetrical in form so that said bags will be of substantially the same form and size. The machines embodying said invention, which have heretofore been constructed, were made for the purpose of wrapping gun powder bags so that the same will be suitable for use in cannons. However the invention is not limited to the particular use for which it has heretofore been employed.

The chief feature of the invention consists in the combination of means for simultaneously compressing and revolving a bag filled with a predetermined amount of material until the same is reduced and compressed to a predetermined volume and form, and means for supplying a wrapper thereto so that the bag will be wrapped as it is revolved and compressed.

Another feature of the invention consists in the means for revolving and compressing the bag while it is being wrapped, which preferably is a belt of heavy canvas wider than the length of the bag, which passes over a pair of pulleys and forms, a loop immediately below them in which the bag is placed and nests, means for tightening or stretching the belt, and means for operating it so that as it travels it will roll the bag and at the same time compress and shape it and wind thereon the wrapper. The belt will not only cause the bag to revolve in order to wind on the wrapper, but will.

compress the wrapper on the bag as it is being wound.

Another feature of the invention consists, in combination with the foregoing, a spool or carrier for the wrapper strip or tape, adapted to travel as the tape is wound on the bag so as to wind the wrapping spi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1920.

- Application filed October 14, 1918. Serial No. 258,016.

rally thereon. Along with this is further means for starting and stopping the travel of said spool so that at the ends a plurality of wrappings may be made for strengthening the wrapping there. Another feature of the invention consists in means for moving apart the two rolls over WhlCll the belt passes, to enable the bag to be placed in this nest, or the loop of the belt, and for moving together again these rolls so as to close the belt to completely envelop the bag while it is being rolled and compressed .and wrapped Also there is means for locking the. belt tightenlng mechanism in its tightening position while the bag is being wrapped.

Referring to the drawings which are made apart of this application, Figure 1 is a front .elevation of the machine ready for the windbelt showing spacing blocks at the ends of the bag of material being shaped. Fig. 8 is. an elevation of the bag before being shaped and Fig. 9 is a similar view of the bag after the same has been shaped and wound with the ta Referring to the lar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 indicates a frame which is mounted upon supporting legs 2, and projecting upwardly from frame 1 are brackets 3. Extending longitudinally of frame 1 and projecting through the brackets 3, is a shaft 4, one end of the shaft having a belt wheel 5 mounted thereon which causes said shaft to rotate through the medium of a clutch 6, a clutch operating. lever 7 being provided for engaging and disengaging the clutch mechanism with the shaft. Rotatably mounted on the opposite end of the shaft is a gear 8 which is caused to rotate with the shaft through the medium of a clutch 9, a yoke 10 being pivoted to frame 1 and cooperating with said clutch for locking-the gear with e. drawings in which simii or unlocking thesame from the shaft 4,

The hand lever 11 is attached to the yoke for readily operating the yoke, said lever and yoke being held in their adjusted positions by means of a sprig 12, one end thereof engaging a pintle 1 on the endtof the I lever while-the opposite end thereof rests drums, said pocket receiving the bag of powder or similar articles to be compressed and shaped. After the bag has been placed in'the pocket, the drum 17 is again posltioned adjacent the drum 15 and the belt drawn taut through the medium of the stretching drum 21, which is positioned be-.

low the drums, 15 and 17 and around which the belt passes. The stretching drum 21 has at each end thereof a stubvshaft 22 which is rotatably mounted in supports 23, which are in turn adustably secured to a foot lever 24,

one edge of the foot lever being pivoted to one side of the supporting legs2 so that by directing downward pressure on the opposite edge of the foot lever, the stretching drum will be lowered and the belt drawn taut. The fdot lever istemporarily held in its lowered position by means of a ratchet 25, the upper end of which is pivoted to the frame 1, a portion of the ratchet above the pivot point 26 terminating in the handle 27, so that the ratchet can be readily swung out ofcengagement with the foot lever when desired. The footlever 24 and drum carried thereby are normally held in their elevated position through the medium of tension springs 28, said springs having one of their ends attached to the frame and the other end to the foot lever. The adjustable drum 17 and shaft 18 are moved laterally in a horizontal plane through the medium of links 29 and 30, there being apair of said links at each end of the drum 17, one end of the link 29 being fixed to the rod 31, which is rotatably mounted in the brackets 3 while the opposite; ends thereof are pivoted to one endv of the links 30,-the opposite ends of which are in turn engaged wlth shaft 18 carrying the drum 17. p

The drum 17 and shaft 18 are caused to travel in a straight line horizontally by placing blocks 32 on the ends of the shaft 18, which enga e ribs'33 on the brackets 3, said against vertical movement. The rod 31 and links 29 are operated to move the drum 17 back and forth. through the medium of the lever 34 which is fastened to the rod 31, and by so arranging the links 29 and 30 that the pivotal point therebetween will pass slightly below the horiaontal plane between the axes of the shaft 18 and rod 31, the drum 17 will be securely held in position adjacent the drum 15 until such time as lever 34 is operated to move the drum 17 outwardly.

After the bags 20 have been properly compressed and shaped they are wrapped with tape 35 or similar material, the roll of tape being carried by a spool 36, which spool is rotatably mounted upon a standard 37 which is in turn mounted upon the car rier 38. The carrier 38 is mounted upon the latch 39, oneend of which is pivotally and slidably mounted upon the rod 40, car-,

ried by---the brackets 3, the inner end of the latch having asemicircular terminal 41 in which are formed threads 42 for engagement with threads '43 of the feed shaft 44, said feedshaft also being mounted in the brackets 3, and forwardly of the rod 40. By forming the terminal 41 semicircular the latch 39 can be readily engaged with, or disengaged from the threads of the shaft 44, this operation being performed by raising 'or lowering the latch, and this is accomplis'hed by means of a hand lever 45, which projects forwardly over the edge of the ma chine so as to be in convenient reach of the operator.

The spool 36 is placed under tension by means of a bowed spring 46, which is mounted upon a spindle 47, which carries the spool 36, the curved ends of the spring 46, pressing against the face of the spool In order to obviate the necessity of holding the latch 39 out of engagement with the threads 43 of the feed shaft 44 while the bag is being compressed and shaped, the threads 43 are omitted for a distance at the ends of the shaft 44, and so long as the terminal 41 of the latch is in registration with the space ateither 'end of the'feed shaft the compressing and shaping operation may be performed without operatin he tape supplylng mechanism; If desired, an automatic kick-off lever L51 is provided, one end of which engages'tlle clutch operating lever 7, while the opposite end thereof extends through bearings 52, and the inner end thereof has an adjustable block '53 "with 1 downward pressure on the free edge of the operating upon bags 0 whichparts of the carrier 38 engage to inove the kick-off lever, and consequently release the clutch mechanism 6 from the shaft 4, thereb permitting the belt wheel 5 to'run idle. he block 53,'may be adjusted on the kick-ofi lever for adaptin' the machine for greater or less length.

' In operation, the lever 34 is operated to move the drum .17 away from the drum 15 or to the position'shown in Fig. 4 of the drawing, and as the footlever 24 carrying the stretcher drum 21, is in its elevated posi tion, a part of the belt 16 will bag-down between the drums 15 and 17 and form a pocket.

, The bag of powder 20 or other commodity i to be compressed, shaped and wrapped is then positioned in the pocket 19 and the shaping blocks placed at opposite ends of thebag or article to be operated upon and adjacent the opposite edges of the belt in said belt pocket portion to hold the belt in proper alinement and also shape the ends of the bag 20. The shaping blocks not only close the ends ofthe rolling pocket, but also determine the diameter of the completed article. These blocks also act as retaining members to-retain the bag within the pocket. In operation, the blocks when positioned adjacent the bag end, as illustrated in Fig. 7, are associated with a bag which usually is of the shape shown in Fig. 8. In the moving of the belt, the compressional force thereof is exerted through the bag or article to be compressed and gradually forces the blocks 54 outwardly separating the same to permit the bag to become elongated if necessary.- The blocks under continued rolling,

move outwardly until such time as the bag 20 or other article .7 contained within the pocket 19 is reduced by being compressed to substantially the same diameter as the blocks 54 and by being re-shaped to conform to a substantially cylindrical volume. Continned movement of the belt only serves to revolve the ,bagor otherarticle in the pocket 19 and will not reduce the diameter below ,that of the retainin and diameter determinmgmembers 54. he means hereinbefore described is then operated until the bag has been, wrapped and suitably reinforced at the desired points to form the completed .s fi'ba as shown inFig. 9. r

he lever 34 I is then thrown upwardly and the drum 17 moved into juxtaposition to the drum 15 as best shown in Fig. 5 of the drawing. The clutch 6 is then operated and power applied to the shaft 4, whereupon the drum 15- will-be rotated and by applying 15 and consequently "rolling the bag 20 within pocket 19. This operation iscontinued 17 until said end is grasped between the bag.

20 and that portion of the belt 16 forming the pocket 19, and as the bag is still rotating, the tape or wrapper will be wound around the bag. If it is desired to reinforce the-wrapping at the ends of the bag, that is give a number of wraps at these points, the carrier 38 is thrown upwardly so that the latch willnot engage the threadson the shaft 44. As soon as the proper amount of tape has been wrapped around the initial.

'end of the bag, the latch 39 is lowered until threads 42 thereon en age the threads 43 on the feed shaft 44, an as said shaft is connected to gear 8 by the gear 55, the spool 36 will be gradually fed toward the opposite end of the bag, thus spirally wrapping the tape around the bag throughout its length A series of wraps may be formed at this end of the bag by again elevating the carrier 38 so as to permit the same to remain idle while the he continues to rotate. The tape is then severe The clutch 6 is then released frpm the shaft 4 and the lever 34 operated to move thedrum 17 away from the drum 15 and the bag removed] When the wrapped bag isremoved, the free end of the tape is secured to the bag in any preferred manner.

Previous to releasing the bag, after it has been wrapped, the handle portion 27 of the ratchet is grasped and swung outwardly,

which will release the foot lever and mally holding the teeth of the "ratchet in position to engage the foot lever.

The invention claimed is:

'1. The combination of means for revolving a bag or like object to be compressed and wrapped, means for applying a wrappin strip thereto as it revolves, means for fee ing said wrapper, retaining means at each end of the bag, and associated with the bag revolving means, and means movable longitudinally of the bag revolving means as the bag revolves for lspirally wrapping the same.

2, The combination with means for revolving a bag or like object to be compressed and wrappe means for applying a wrappin strip thereto as it revolves, means for fee ing said wrapper, retaining means at each end of the bag and associated with the bag revolving means, means movable longitudinally of the bag revolving means as the bag revolves for spirally wrapping the same, and clutch means associating the bag revolving means with the longitudinally moving means for reinforcing the spiral wrappings at predetermined points upon the bag.

3. In a bag compressing and shaping device, an endless belt-like structure, means for positioning a part of the belt-like structure for receiving the bag, means for confining the ends of the bag within said bag receiving belt portion for compressing and shaping the same, and means for moving the belt-like structure lengthwise for compressing and shaping the bag.

4. Anarticle compressing, shaping and wrapping device including a continuous belt structure, drums over which said belt passes and form a pocket between and below them for retaining the article to be wrapped,

' jointed means for removing one of said drums away from the other for removing and introducing the article and toward. the

other for compressing the article, said 1o1nted means locking said movable drums in the adjacent position, means for driving one of said drums for driving the belt, means for maintaining said belt taut, and a wrapper carrying means operable by said drum driving means and adapted to travel longitudinally of said drums simultaneously with the rotation thereof and supply a spiral wrapping to said article as it is beingshaped and compressed.

5. An article compressing, shaping and wrapping device including a continuous belt structure, drums over which said belt passes and forms a pocket between and below them for retaining the article to be wrapped, means for moving one of said drums away from and toward the other, said moving means being lockable in the drum adjacent position, means for driving one of said drums for driving the belt, pedal actuated means for maintaining the belt taut, and a wrapper carrying means adapted to travel longitudinally of said drums simultaneously with the rotation thereof and supply a spiral wrapping to said article as it is being shaped and compressed.

61in article compressing, shaping and wrapping device including a continuous longitudinally of said drums simultaneously with the rotation thereof and supply a spiral wrapping to said article as it is being shaped and compressed.

7. A machine for compressing, shaping and wrapping articles including a frame, a pair of drums mounted in the upper part of the frame, means for rotating one of said drums, means for moving the other drum toward or away from said first mentioned drum, an endless belt extending over said drums and sagging between them to form a pocket to receive the article to be treated, a drum carried by the lower part of the belt and below said other drums, a spindle err-- tending through said last mentioned drum,

' a pedal structure located below said lower to said article as it is being shaped and compressed.

8. A. machine for shaping, compressing and wrapping an article including a pair of drums, means for driving one of said drums, mean for moving the other drum toward and away from the first mentioned drum, saidmoving means being lockable vin the drum adjacent position, an endless belt on said drums and sagging between them to form a pocket to receive the article between them, means for drawing said belt taut, means for locking the drums in their closed position for compressing the article, and a wrapper, carrying means adapted to travel longitudinally of said drums simultaneously with the rotation thereof and sup ply a spiral wrapping to said article as it is being shaped and compressed.

9. In an article compressing, shaping and wrapping device, an endless belt-like structure, supporting means for said belt-like structure, means for positioning the support-- ing means to form a fold in the belt-lilre structure for the reception of the article to be compressed, means at each end of the fold for retaining the article in said fold, means for directing tension on said belt-like structure, and means for winding wrapping material around said article for retaining the article in its compressed condition. v

10. In an article compressing, shaping and wrapping device a pair of drums, a belt like structure passing over said drums, means to separate said drums for forming an article receiving pocket in the belt-like structure, means for locking said drums in close relation to each other whereby the article will be surrounded by the fold of the belt-likeilw structure, means at each end ofthe article for shaping and compressing the article, of 15. and inclosed by the fold of the. belt like means for dispensing wrapping material structure I for holding the edges of the belt when the same is being Wrapped around said like structure in proper shape and for shaparticle, means controlled by the operating ing the ends of the article, and means for means for the belt-like structure for moving directing tension on said belt like structure the wrapping dispenser longitudinally of 20 for causing the article to be compressed and the article being wrapped, and means for belt-like structure adapted to "receive the In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed shaped when the belt like structure is moved controlling the movement of the wrapper lengthwise. a dispensing device whereby the number of 11. In an article compressing, shapin and wraps around the article at any desired wrapping device, the combination wlth a point may be determined. 25

. article to be compressed and shaped, andmy signature.

means for operating said belt-like structure CHARLES E. MILLER. 

